Jazz Articles about The Cedar Avenue Big Band

The Cedar Avenue Big Band: Land of 10,000 Licks

by Jack Bowers
February 5, 2004

What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago (where has the time flown?) the Cedar Avenue Big Band recorded its first album, Lazy Orange. At the time, it was a rather unpolished ensemble whose weekly gigs at O’Gara’s nightclub in St. Paul, MN, evinced far more earnestness and energy than proficiency. Now comes Land of 10,000 Licks, and wow! What a mind-blowing surprise! To reiterate our opening remark, what a difference a decade makes. Any resemblance between this band ...